Journal Article

Not just a calling: the psychological logic of medical specialty preferences among second-year medical students in Poland

Walkiewicz, Maciej, Czarnecka, Matylda, Błażek, Magdalena, Guziak, Mateusz, Nowicka-Sauer, Katarzyna

2026

Overview

Background The choice of medical specialty does not arise solely from a sense of calling, but is a complex psychological and social process. The goal of the study was to examine whether selected psychological characteristics: emotional intelligence (EI; overall score and the dimensions of recognizing and using emotions) and sense of coherence (SOC; overall score and the dimensions of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness), together with indicators of student functioning (study-related satisfaction, study-related stress, peer relationships, financial status), are associated with medical students’ declared specialty choice (procedural vs. non-procedural) as well as with their preferences for commonly chosen specialties. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 300 s-year medical students at Medical University in Gdańsk, Poland. Standardized tools were used to measure EI (Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire - INTE - Polish version of Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test), SOC (Sense of Coherence Scale - SOC-29) and self-developed survey to assess academic experiences (study-related satisfaction and stress, peer relationships, financial status). Data were analysed using multinomial logistic regression. Results Higher overall EI was associated with a preference for non-procedural specialties. The ability to recognize emotions was negatively associated with choosing paediatrics and non-procedural specialties. Higher study satisfaction favoured a preference for paediatrics and non-procedural specialties. A preference for plastic surgery was associated with higher overall EI and lower overall SOC, whereas a preference for endocrinology was associated with better self-reported peer relationships. Conclusions Medical students’ specialty preferences are associated with psychological factors and academic experiences. The results may support career counselling and mentoring programs, helping students make more informed career decisions.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Adult / Aesthetic Education / Career Choice / Careers / Communication / Communication Skills / Congruence (Psychology) / Cross-Sectional Studies / Decision Making / Diagnostic Tests / Education / Educational aspects / Educational Assessment / Educational research / Emotional Intelligence / Emotional regulation / Emotions / Empathy / Female / Humans / Individual Characteristics / Intelligence Tests / Internal medicine / Male / Medical Education / Medical students / Medicine / Neurology / Oncology / Ophthalmology / Palliative care / Patients / Pediatrics / Peer Influence / Peer Relationship / Physician patient relationships / Physicians / Plastic surgery / Poland / Preferences / Psychiatry / Psychological aspects / Psychological Characteristics / Questionnaires / Regression (Statistics) / Sense of Coherence / Specialization / Specialties and specialists / Specialty Preference / Students, Medical / Students, Medical - psychology / Surveys / Surveys and Questionnaires / Systematic review / Theory of Medicine/Bioethics / Young Adult